


Just A Name

by thesnadger



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Post-Finale, Warm and Soft Like Puppies and Socks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 16:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6913861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesnadger/pseuds/thesnadger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a pleasant visit, Soos bids the Stan Twins goodbye as they head back to their adventures at sea. But as he's winding down for the evening, he finds a letter Ford left behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just A Name

“Goodbye! Drive safe...email me when you get to the coast, okay dudes?”

 

Soos stood on the porch, waving and watching the car slowly shrink into the distance. It had been a nice visit. A short one this time—Stan and his brother were only passing through so that Ford could share some kind of discovery he'd made with Mr. McGucket. Meanwhile Stan had taken the opportunity to relax in the Shack with Soos and the kids.

 

Since no one knew they were in town, it had been a lot quieter than their visits usually were. Usually when the two of them were in town they had all sorts of other visitors—Dipper and Mabel tried to drive up whenever they could, and that brought Candy, Grenda and Pacifica over. And people in town were always coming by to meet members of the heroic Pines family. Heh....maybe Soos should start charging money to the people who stopped in for a look. The next time they talked he'd tell Stan about that idea. He'd probably laugh and say that he approved. Soos smiled at the thought.

 

He heard the familiar sounds of digital violence coming from the den. Poking his head in he saw Melody had already logged into her Wars of GearCraft account and was making up for the time she'd lost in the game while they'd had guests. Soos smiled, watching her play for a few minutes before coming up behind her.

 

“Don't stay up too late, kay?” He said.

 

“Oh, no. I'll stay up _way_ too late.” Melody said, glancing back. “And in the morning I'll be super tired and cranky, and I'll whine about it, and you'll say 'I told you so.'”

 

“Heh, sounds good. Looking forward to it.” Soos said. They shared a goodnight kiss, and he left her to her game.

 

He went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot chocolate before bed. Over the last couple of years he'd replaced his habitual midnight nachos with hot drinks, and his stomach was thanking him for it. Though there were still some times when he'd fall asleep dreaming about piling a bowl high with cheese, tortilla chips and jalapenos and scarfing it down in one sitting, and he'd wake up with phantom grease smeared on his lips.

 

When he went to open the fridge to get the milk out, he saw something had been stuck on there with one of those high-powered magnets that Ford liked to use. It was a manila envelope, thick enough to have a bunch of papers inside, along with a folded letter that said “Soos” on it.

 

Huh. No one had mentioned leaving anything behind for him. He pulled the letter out from under the magnet and opened it.

 

_Dear Soos_ , it said, written in neat, precise cursive. _About six months back, Stan and I stopped on land for a week or so, and he took care of something that he'd clearly been thinking about for a while. Personally, I don't see the point in formalizing with the government what is already obvious to everyone. I'm not sure if Stan does either, but he seemed to think this was important to you._

_  
Of course, my stubborn old sap of a brother still hasn't worked up the nerve to tell you, and if I wait for him to do it in his own time we'll both be buried in the ground before you find out. So here you are. Congratulations, and my warmest wishes to you and your family. Stanford Pines._

 

_P.S._ _Don't ask how he managed to get this done without you being present, I'm still trying to figure it out._

 

Soos stared at the letter for a few minutes. He pulled the larger envelope away from the fridge, unfolded the flap at the top and pulled out a small stack of papers. His breath caught when he saw the xeroxed forms. Soos knew what they were for, he and Melody had filled out forms like these themselves after all. He shuffled through the papers until he got to the very last page. One dated and stamped with an official looking seal. Soos held it in his hands and read it over and over.

 

_Certificate of Adoption_ , the document read. _This is to certify that Jesus Alzamirano Ramirez has been formally adopted into the Pines family by the father Stanley, and is entitled to all the rights and privileges there to as one of his children._

 

Soos's signature had been lovingly forged at the bottom of the page, just below Stan's. He must have slipped a few bribes into the notary's hand to get it done. He always found a way.

 

He barely realized he was crying until he felt Melody's hand on his shoulder.

 

“Hey,” she asked, “are you all right, panda bear?”

 

He put a hand on her hand, smiled up at her and nodded. He held out the papers for her to see, and the concern on her face melted away. She grinned.

 

“Well, it's about damn time,” she said.

 

Soos laughed, still trembling as Melody wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. He returned the hug, still crying, still laughing, a huge and joyful warmth rising in him. His wonderful, beautiful wife was holding him in his arms. His children were asleep upstairs. And his father...he _had_ a father. He'd had a father for a very long time, it's true, and maybe there really had been no point in making formal what everybody knew. But he'd needed it. He'd wanted it. He was a Pines now.

 

“So...” Melody said, after a long silence. “Does this mean you're gonna change your name to Stan Jr.?”

 

Soos chuckled. “Nah...” he said. “I don't think I need that anymore. Besides...I've been Mr. Mystery for a while now. That's basically the same.”

 

“Good.” Melody leaned in and kissed him. “I'm happy for you, Mr. Mystery.”

 

“And I love you, Mrs. Mystery.”

 


End file.
